1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a half-fitting prevention connector in which when a pair of female and male connectors to be fitted together are half fitted together, the two connectors are moved away from each other by resiliency of a resilient member mounted on one of the two connectors, thereby detecting this half-fitted condition.
2. Related art
There have been used various types of female and male connectors by which a wire harness can be easily connected to and disconnected from an electronic equipment or an electronic part mounted on an automobile or the like. One example of such female and male connectors is a half-fitting prevention connector in which a compression spring is mounted within one of housings to be fitted together, and the two connectors, when half fitted together, are moved away from each other by the resiliency of the compression spring, thereby detecting this half-fitted condition.
In a half-fitting prevention connector shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a pair of female and male connectors are moved away from each other through a movable cover urged by compression springs (see Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 5-81967). The female connector 3 includes a housing 5 having a plurality of pin contacts 1 mounted therein, and the housing 5 has a hood portion 7 open in a fitting direction. The male connector 11 includes a housing 13 having a plurality of socket contacts 9 mounted therein, and the housing 13 has a fitting portion 15 for insertion into the hood portion. 7.
An engagement piece portion 17 is formed on and extends from. a top plate 5a of the housing 5 of the female connector 3 in the fitting direction, and an engagement projection 17a for fitting engagement with the mating connector is formed at a distal end of the engagement piece portion 17.
The movable cover 19 is mounted on the male connector 11 in surrounding relation to the outer periphery of the fitting portion 15, and is movable in the connector-fitting and connector-disconnecting directions. The movable cover 19 has an opening 21 formed in one end or side thereof which is directed in the fitting direction, and the hood portion 7 of the mating connector can be inserted into this opening 21.
The pair of compression springs 23 are provided between the fitting portion 15 and the movable cover 19, and these compression springs 23 normally urge the movable cover 19 in the fitting direction.
Projections 25, formed on an upper surface of the fitting portion 15, are engaged respectively in slots 27 in the movable cover 19, thereby preventing the movable cover 19 (urged in the fitting direction) from being disengaged from the fitting portion 15.
An engagement groove 29, in which the engagement projection 17a of the engagement piece portion 17 can be retainingly engaged, is formed in the upper surface of the fitting portion 15, and when the movable cover 19 is moved in the disconnecting direction, the engagement groove 29 is exposed.
When the pair of female and male connectors 3 and 11 of the above construction begin to be fitted together, the hood portion 7 of the female connector is inserted into the opening 21 provided around the male connector. Then, the engagement projection 17a of the engagement piece portion 17 of the female connector is brought into contact with the upper surface of the fitting portion 15 of the male connector, so that the movable cover 19 is pushed or moved in the disconnecting direction against the bias of the compression springs 23.
When the fitting connection between the two connectors 3 and 11 further proceeds as shown in FIG. 8, the engagement projection 17a becomes engaged in the engagement groove 29, so that the abutment of the distal end of the engagement piece portion 17 against the movable cover 19 is canceled. As a result, the movable cover 19 is moved in the fitting direction by the urging force of the compression springs 23, and a top wall of the movable cover 19 overlies the engagement piece portion 17, thereby preventing the engagement projection 17a from being disengaged from the engagement groove 29. As a result, the female and male connectors 3 and 11 are completely fitted together.
If the two connectors 3 and are inadequately pushed toward each other in the fitting direction, so that they are half fitted together, the engagement projection 17a fails to reach the engagement groove 29, and therefore the engagement piece portion 17 is pushed back through the movable cover 19 by the urging force of the compression springs 23, so that the two connectors 3 and 11 are moved away from each other, and therefore this half-fitted condition can be detected.
However, in the above conventional half-fitting prevention connectors 3 and 11, the movable cover 19 is provided in surrounding relation to the outer periphery of the fitting portion 15, and therefore when fitting the two connectors 3 and 11 together, the movable cover 19 is liable to be held by the hand or fingers of the operator. If the movable cover 19 is held by the hand or fingers, there is encountered a problem that the movable cover 19 can not be moved, so that the two connectors can not be fitted together.
And besides, in the connectors 3 and 11, the engagement piece portion 17 can be elastically deformed or flexed relative to the hood portion 7 in a direction perpendicular to the upper outer surface of the connector (that is, in the direction of the height of the connector) so that the engagement piece portion 17 can engage the movable cover 19 and the engagement groove 29, and therefore these members must be arranged in the direction of the height, which has resulted in a problem that the size of the housings particularly in the direction of the height is increased.
Furthermore, with respect to the male connector 11, the movable cover 19 is provided in surrounding relation to the outer periphery of the fitting portion 15, and the pair of compression springs 23 are provided respectively at the opposite sides of the male connector so that the movable cover 19 can make a parallel movement. This has invited a problem that the housing is much increased in size, and therefore the connector has a large size.